A/n: I love this chapter, hope you do too! Here goes the final one. Thanks to my new beta Tessa Cresswell!

He was a good friend/

But the women in the two black veils didn't bother to cry/

Bye/ Bye/ Bye/ Bye

Yeah they took turns laying a rose down/

Threw a handful of dirt into the deep ground/

He's not the Only One/ Who had a secret to hide/

Bye/ Bye/ Bye/ Yeah/ Yeah/ Yeah/ Yeah

Understandably, Hermione did not let the children know the full extent of the trial. Mail flooded the Manor the next few weeks after Theo was arrested, people wishing Hermione well now that the man behind everything was behind bars. Draco got praise for his wonderful work, which he credited half of it to the brunette. The children, though naturally curious, were shut out from most of the case. They were simply too young to understand what murder was, and too naïve to understand why everyone was so happy now that Nott was accused of murdering two people.

Draco did the questioning of Lavender alone, taking notes Hermione provided with him the day she was brought in from the hospital. With all odds against her, the woman crumbled under the pressure and fell apart, admitting to most everything.

She admitted to receiving letters about Theo's plan, about ignoring them and trying to block him out. She again mentioned the fact that Ron wanted to break things off for both their own goods, but she was stubborn and refused. If she had let Ron go and not clung to him like a lost puppy things would've been very different. Ron might still be alive if she had simply let him go and gotten them both out of danger. But things didn't end up happening that way.

Lavender told the blonde man that she went back to see Nott after their break up, telling him she was happy now that their relationship was over. She had a child on the way, something he hadn't been able to give her. When he got her pregnant the first time, something else that Lavender admitted to Draco, their child didn't make it past the first trimester. At the time they were moving in together, and she left him the day she found out. He never hit her, not really, but he did while she was pregnant, and Lavender still felt that he was the reason their child died. She never did go to figure out the cause of death though, and it remained a mystery.

She was involved, in a sense that she almost knew what was going to happen before it did. She had all the information at her fingertips, but she did nothing with it at first because she wanted to call Nott's bluff. And when Ron was killed, she went ballistic, angry at herself that she hadn't done something sooner. She was sad, hurt, angry, and trying to cope with the fact that now she was going to raise a child alone with a crazy man on her back the whole time.

Lavender wanted Ron more than anything in the world when it came down to it, so much so that it impaired her judgment. She didn't think about the long term effects of doing nothing about the threats she received, and Ron paid for it with his life. She wouldn't back down, wouldn't report a thing, and he was the one who paid for it. He suffered in the end, and it hurt Hermione's entire family. The Weasley's, well aside from Ginny, they still didn't speak to her. Though they weren't angry anymore, there was too much pain, and they couldn't look her way. Hermione understood and let it be for the time being. She didn't want to reopen old wounds for anyone.

It took longer for Draco to get her to admit to anything more, but the pair spent hours on end the first day in that interrogation room, with the blonde doing nothing but questioning the woman. In the end she admitted that she knew something was going to happen to Cho, but that she didn't warn her friend. The only thing she said was that she should watch her back. She didn't turn in evidence then either, and it cost the world another life.

She was outside that muggle house that day because she had received a letter about Chang dying that day. Instead of reporting the obvious threat like a normal person, she kept the letter hidden amongst the rest, going to that house to try and stop Nott herself. But the wards were up, and she couldn't get past. Panicking, she ran around several times and even tried leaving before returning to the spot hours later than her arrival time, only to find Draco and Hermione there on the scene, the woman losing her stomach in a bush nearby. She had missed her mark, and Cho paid for it with her life. She was a crappy friend.

Cho died because she was leverage, because Nott thought Lavender would come back to him to save her best friend. But instead she didn't, and let someone else fall. Nott didn't anticipate this, and didn't originally intend to kill her. But that didn't stop him from doing so. He told her where he would take Cho, telling her to alert him if she planned to come. She didn't alert him, and he set up wards to silence the screams. It was the home they would've lived in, and he killed her friend there. Hermione blamed the death on Lavender's cowardliness, and Draco couldn't help but agree. If she only turned the threats in earlier, lives could've been saved.

He turned his documentations and notes over to a lawyer four days after the interrogations and event in the basement of Hermione's home, a trial already underway. Brown would be prosecuted for the part she played in people's death, pregnant or not. The court would decide how severe her punishment would be. She would be tried right alongside Theo, the man that took her love and her best friend away from her. It was cruel in a way, but no one argued against the set up. Who would, when justice for those people was finally going to be served?

After handing the files over to the lawyer, Draco quit his job in the Ministry. He refused to be part of such a twisted story ever again, and considering that his relationship with Hermione was only strengthening by the day, he had no intention of putting his family in danger- or hers. He planned to go back into investing money and staying out of the Ministry entirely. Things were too complicated there.

Hermione sold her house during that same month and moved into the Manor. Whether it was a permanent settlement or not neither of them knew, but it got her out of that house filled with bad memories. Hopefully it would give her some space to really heal. And even if the Weasley's didn't end up living there indefinitely, Draco was more than willing to help her get back on her feet until she could find a place to live. He was smitten with the witch and her children like that.

Maybe she could even be a Malfoy someday. He would hold out on that for a while though anyway. They were still adjusting to living there, and recently Draco convinced her to start sleeping in his room. They changed up things then, switching Hugo's room around to the other side of Draco's where there was a connected door, so she didn't have to be too far away from her son. He loved that she was so invested in her children.

She became invested in Scorpius too. The child didn't particularly take to her at first, enjoying her but not seeing her as a mother, until one day when he fell and broke his arm outside while playing with Rose. She wasn't home at the time, Draco was, and he took the child to the Healer to get fixed up. When he returned though, she had gone through his room and set something up for him.

"What's this?" he asked, looking around the room as his father carried him in and set the child down. Rose followed behind, ever eager to be near her newfound best friend. Hugo was carried by the girl, who seemed almost too small to carry the child. Hermione took her son gingerly, resting him on her hip as she turned back to address the young boy.

"I thought you needed some cheering up," she replied, looking skyward as the little boy jumped for joy. On her way over she spotted something that would make both of the children happy, and picked it up to add to her collection of things for Draco's son. She'd taken the time to go through his room and decorate it with happy wishes and green décor, but she knew immediately after picking the gift up that it would all be ignored. Oh well, he was smiling either way.

"Tickets to see Puddlemore United!?" he screeched, jumping on the bed. Draco gave his son a stern look and the boy quickly sat down, reminded why he'd been at St. Mungo's to begin with. "How did you get them?!"

She shrugged, ignoring the curious look from Draco. "Oh, I just saw them on my rush back over here," she said, waving her hand as though it we're nothing. "I thought you might enjoy them. Why don't you look at who they're playing against?"

The child peered down and his eyes widened. "No way! The Chuddley Cannons? My teams definitely going to win!"

Rose was on the bed in a moment, getting in his face. "No way! The Cannon will win!"

Hermione just rolled her eyes, peering back at Draco who winked. It reminded her of a conversation the children had when they first arrived.

"Puddlemere United is better!" the blonde boy argued, holding up a figurine that Hermione couldn't name for the life of her. "Everyone knows that."

"No way! Chuddley Cannons are better!" the girl defended, holding up a different toy. Hermione had to smile at that; that was Ron's favorite team, and apparently he left a strong influence on his daughter.

"Nu-uh!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

She set Hugo down on the floor, letting him play with one of Scorpius' fallen toys as Draco wrapped an arm around her. It was strange to think that they could stand in such a family-like situation and not be uncomfortable about it. She thought it would take longer for her to accept something like this after Ron, but it seemed to help her more than hurt. Draco was doing a good job at reminding her that even though her spouse was gone from the world, she didn't have to be all alone. And she loved him for it.

As the days passed on for the couple, it surprised Hermione how understanding Draco could be. She knew he was considerate of her position before, but even after the fact he was quite mindful that her husband died not long ago. On rare occasions, he visited the grave with her, when she couldn't muster the courage to go and see it herself. He was sweet like that.

Rose and Scorpius continued to get closer. She thought it was adorable to watch two children who were so very different bond over simple things, like their favorite foods and disputes over Quidditch teams. They were still both psyched for the game she bought tickets for. They'd have to leave Hugo at home that day since he was so small, but she knew that Draco would be willing to make the baby giggle before and after the event. Lying with him in bed one night, she interlaced their fingers.

"Where do we go from here?" she asked, voicing a question he hadn't been expecting. He pulled away from her and sat up, careful not to jar the baby boy sleeping between them.

"You mean as a couple?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow. She smiled at him and nodded. "Well, I would imagine up."

"Up?"

"Yes up," he replied, grinning. "I think it's just going to keep getting better."

She fidgeted in bed, picking up her son to cradle against him. "I would hope so. It took a lot to get here."

He nodded, leaning over now that the child was in her arms to kiss her. "Speaking of which, Nott's trial finally ended today, after all these weeks. He's going to Azkaban for an unidentified amount of time, or at least to the public. I'm assuming they dug something else up on him and plan to bring it to court as well before a final amount of time is decided. Brown is receiving three to six months."

"But she's pregnant," Hermione said, frowning. "She can't have a baby in Azkaban."

He waved his hand. "She's going to have a two week break from prison whenever the due date comes around. Once she is considered well she will be returned to the prison and serve an additional amount of days for however many she was out for. They have to accept that she's going to have the child, but not that she deserves any different of a punishment that someone else would receive if they were not pregnant. She still has to serve all of her time, whether she wants to or not."

"I assumed so," she muttered. "I can't say I feel sorry for her though, she brought it onto herself. It's her child that I feel sorry for. It's going to have such a difficult time living past its mother's problems as it grows up."

"I'm dealing with the flaws my parents left behind," he reminded, "It's not impossible to do. Sometimes you just have to look at the world from a different perspective than they did. My father sought for power and a Pureblood world, whereas I've grown to see past the shallow shadows he dwelled in. I'm different, and you of all people should be able to see that. There's a reason I don't speak to my son about his grandparents. Someday he's going to ask, and I won't hesitate to tell him the kind of monsters they were, but that doesn't mean that I'll do it while he's young either. As you grow up, childhood impressions have to learn to disappear so you can decide whether or not you're going to be like your parents were."

"I suppose," Hermione agreed, getting out of bed to wander towards Hugo's room. "It just seems like someone who knew she was pregnant should've been more careful about what she was doing."

"You expected Brown to be careful? Hermione, I know you're sleep deprived today, but even you know that was never going to happen. She's always been self-centered. She didn't think too much about how this would affect her child."

"Obviously." She set her son carefully down in the crib, staring down at him with a smile. Rose might have the telltale red Weasley hair, but Hugo looked just like his father. Although it made her sad in the beginning, she smiled every time she looked down on him now. Ron might be gone, but he left behind two amazing children in his wake, two children who would grow up and make him proud. And maybe, Draco would be the one playing daddy.

He came up behind her and hugged her, his hands resting on her belly. She leaned back against him, comfortable where she was. It felt good to relax against his body, knowing she was perfectly safe in his arms.

"Do you see one of those in our future?" she muttered offhandedly, expecting the man to jump away. It was a rather fast question considering that they'd only been together a few short months.

"Perhaps, but not for at least a year." Startled she bolted up and twisted in his arms, peering up at him.

"Are you serious?" she asked, searching his grey orbs for some sign that he was lying. She couldn't find a hint of amusement in his face, and realized he wasn't joking. "You are serious."

"I wouldn't joke about something like that," he replied, tracing his fingers along the side of her face. "Why would I?"

"I always just assumed you weren't the kind of person to settle down too quickly with a woman."

He laughed outright. "You would think that wouldn't you, considering how I was throughout school." He shook his head. "My marriage to Astoria wasn't a decision I personally made. My parents arranged it before the war even ended and the Greengrass' saw it through. It was loveless, bland, and it ended as soon as my son turned two. Perhaps you're right; I don't seem like the type of person to settle down to quickly, not on my own accord. And I'm not saying that I want to marry you and have a child one year later, nothing like that."

"Then what exactly are you saying?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him. He smirked and wrapped his arms tightly around her again, drawing her in close to his body.

"I'm saying it's not something I would exactly object to in the future," he muttered, kissing her. Hermione responded eagerly, biting his lip briefly before pulling back. "We don't have to rush into things," he continued, gazing into her eyes. "And I have no intention to. I might have wanted this relationship with you, wanted you to be mine, but that doesn't mean that we have to rush any further right now. Dating and getting to know each other better is always an option too."

She grinned, kissing him again. She was happy that he wasn't comparing her to Astoria, the woman she had met only once since school. And maybe she was a little overly happy about the fact that he'd burned the letter she found addressed from Astoria without even reading it, the one that she received one fateful day while he was off at St. Mungo's, getting healed after having a blade thrown at him courtesy of Nott. He planned to fight for full custody of his son soon, considering that the woman could care less about Scorpius. And Hermione couldn't be happier about the fact. She wouldn't mind being the child's only mother, and considering how awful she'd heard Astoria had been, she didn't think that his son would mind too much either.

"I like that idea," she said, pulling back. "Dating, getting to know each other, letting the children bond, it all sounds marvelous." One of her hands had slid down from his neck to the buttons on his shirt, and began slowly undoing them. "Gives us time to experiment with other things too before we jump to conclusions and seal the deal."

Draco cocked an eyebrow, already picking up on what she wanted. Without needing to be persuaded, he scooped her up in his arms, grateful that her innocent little boy was still sound asleep next to them. He kissed her, sauntering off towards their shared bedroom again- theirs, not just his anymore.

"Well yes," he replied, grinning devilishly as he dropped her on the bed, "There's that too."

~FIN~

Final A/n: And there it is! This story is now completed. There will not be a sequel or epilogue. This is the end. And I quite enjoyed writing this little mystery. It's quite different from the mystery story I wrote previous to this- What Would You Give?

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. It was fun to write and a challenge for me since I wrote short-ish chapters and didn't have more than twenty chapters either :D If you've ever read any of my other stories, they tend to be either one-shots or 20+ chapters, so this was different for me. But I loved it!

Shoot a review this way one last time before leaving, aye? Let me know what you thought!

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